(Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Arts

Prince Albert artist calls solo exhibition ‘significant step’

May 7, 2022 | 8:00 AM

Prince Albert’s Jerome Mrazek is looking forward to meeting with fellow artists and community members this weekend.

His first solo exhibition has been at the John M. Cuelenaere Library’s Grace Campbell Gallery for the past week, and on Saturday afternoon there is a special meet and greet event. Speaking with paNOW on Friday, Mrazek acknowledged the inability the past two years to have such events.

“It’s nice to be able to talk to other artists and get back to talking about things in a normal fashion,” he said.

Mrazek grew up in Prince Albert, but moved away in his late teens to play hockey. Roughly twenty years later he found his way back. With respect to his painting, Mrazek acknowledged he is still relatively new, only discovering an interest roughly 10 years ago then dedicating more time in 2017.

“I view it as my adolescence in kind of a right of passage taking this step in a solo show,” he said. “It’s a significant step for me.”

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Prince Albert’s midtown residents may find this painting extra appealing. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

The exhibition was curated by Prince Albert’s Jesse Campbell. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

Included with Mrazek’s exhibition is his interpretations of familiar subjects such as the Prince Albert Arts Centre, city hall, and residential neighbourhoods. Some of the buildings are ones that caught Mrazek’s attention when he was a child and the images stayed with him.

“I probably have an affinity for architecture of one type or another, whether it’s an old building, back alley buildings, or just neighbourhoods,” he said.

Other paintings are inspired by lakeland landscapes, and floral still lifes.

Despite this being his first actual solo exhibition, Mrazek’s work has been shown in the annual Winter Festival Art Show and Sale at the Mann Art Gallery, where he has received awards for accomplishments in drawing and watercolour.

“It was kind of surprising and mostly encouraging that I was on the right path and with that encouragement you try more and more things,” he explained.

The meet and greet with Mrazek takes place Saturday afternoon at the library, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The exhibition itself “Jerome Mrazek: Recent Artwork” runs until May 21.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell